


pride and arrogance surrounded by sin

by Brie (Kura)



Series: Let The World Know [5]
Category: Professional Wrestling, World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-12
Updated: 2014-06-12
Packaged: 2018-02-04 09:20:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1773940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kura/pseuds/Brie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>'How about I'll bring him over and we'll have a little threesome?' Dean wiggles his eyebrows suggestively and Roman just yanks the towel from his waist on his way to the bathroom. 'I love you Dean, but if you value your life you stay away from my junk.'</i>
</p><p> </p><p>The Shield is back, Seth continues to confuse the living hell out of Dean and Roman just wants this to be over. One way or another. Dean has made a plan of his own to get back at Seth and Roman is more than just happy to play along.</p>
            </blockquote>





	pride and arrogance surrounded by sin

**Author's Note:**

> First of all: thanks to everyone who's still with me on this ride =) I love you all! Second: for more info bla bla go [here](http://ambrollinsgirl.tumblr.com/) and third: This is a little (ha) intermezzo because a) I enjoy writing Roman way too much b) I wanted to deal with the crap happening on Raw (as well as the Ambreigns stuff) and c) I am now emotionally prepared for Dean meeting Seth privately. Yup.

'Do you hear that?' Dean asks incredulous and stops his pacing. Considering the speakers all over the arena, he knows Dean doesn't expect an answer. 'Who do they think they are to talk trash about us?'

He grabs the nearest official by the collar and yells in the poor man's face, 'Hit our music. _Now_!' Roman chuckles quietly when the man practically screams into his headset and follows Dean through the door.

While they're making their way down to the ring, he watches the members of 3MB stay where they are, which doesn't surprise him. They're stupid enough to stand still and watch the destructive beauty of the hurricane approaching them.

Kind of like a dodo. Not a huge miracle they perished. Judging by Dean's aggressive behavior that's what's gonna happen to 3MB tonight too.

Roman really can't understand why people still believe they can overpower them just because there's strength in numbers. They obviously have no idea what an admittedly small pack of hounds can do, what each member is willing to sacrifice.

 _Yes, Seth Rollins, this message is just for you_ , he thinks bitterly while running up to the ramp and spearing Heath, releasing all the tension in his body with his primal scream.

He sees Dean in the ring, microphone in his hands and walks down again, putting on a mask for the camera while on the inside he's more nervous than he wants to be.

They have talked about this moment the whole night without ever coming up with the right thing to say. That Seth had texted Dean constantly didn't make anything better – on the contrary. Roman has never seen Dean so distressed and insecure. And he sincerely hopes he'll never have to witness it again.

Agreeing to that meet-up sounds like a bad idea to Roman, but then again it also doesn't. He's not quite sure what to make of Seth's behavior. And he doesn't just mean turning on them and joining Evolution.

An hour ago he had pulled Dean aside to ask him one last time how he felt and what they should do in the ring.

_'Any idea what you're gonna say?' Dean looks up from his hands, just finished with taping them. He grins, tongue tracing his bottom lip. 'Nah, I want it to be spontaneous and malicious.'_

_Roman watches him lace his boots and tries to ignore Dean's shaky fingers. Rage and incomprehension still slow down his movements and Roman has caught him more than once staring at his phone with frustration in his eyes, at a complete loss what to do with Seth._

_He wants revenge, they both do, but there is this tiny part of Dean that begs him to stay calm and forgive Seth already. Roman can hear that voice sometimes too but he knows that they're still far away from even thinking about doing that._

_Seth has done the unthinkable and he deserves to be punished. Dean will take care of the kid – in the ring and outside – and he'll watch patiently until his brother asks him for help. He himself will just take on the rest of The Shield's problem: Randy Orton and Triple H._

_'You won't go easy on him?' Dean laughs at that, sensing that Roman wants Dean to completely destroy Seth without actually hurting him. Everything is so complicated and contradicting nowadays. Seth has ruined it all, really._

_'Fuck no,' Dean bursts out, slamming his injured hand against the wall. 'Just because I agreed to listen to his bullshit excuses doesn't mean I won't tell him what I think of his backstabbing. I wanna make sure he gets that I mean every word I say out there._

_'I want him to mull over them, choke on them while he's watching us backstage in that fancy suit of his. I want him to fall to his knees and cry his soul out while he tries to piece together his broken heart. I need him to know that he has nipped 'us' in the bud. No going back. And then I will watch him writhe and beg and fight for all that he could have had.'_

_He snorts and pats Dean on the head, pulling him into a half-hug while planting a soft kiss on his head. 'Oh and there's one more thing,' he adds, clapping Roman on the chest to get his undivided attention._

_'I also want him to watch us and the only thing that he's able to think will be: how the fuck could I abandon that? I want back in.' 'You want to rub it in his face,' Roman says slowly, not quite sure what exactly Dean means. The fact that they're still together, defying Evolution and the King of Kings should be enough to let everyone know that The Shield might have lost a member but they're still alive and kicking._

_'Hell yeah,' Dean yells, pushing some unfortunate guy, who just happened to walk by, out of the way. They're silent for a couple of minutes but it's bugging Roman that he doesn't get what Dean wants to do to make Seth seethe with jealousy. (But damn, he likes the idea of it very much.)_

_He clears his throat and grabs Dean's wrist to hold him still. 'So you want to show Seth what he's missing out on,' he repeats, voice brimmed with fake understanding and Dean just smirks down at him, one second away from laughing so hard and loud that he has to sit down._

_'You have no idea, right?' He can already hear the little hiccup in Dean's voice that tells him the other is trying very hard not to crack up. He's not entirely successful, a single tear rolling down his cheek._

_Roman lets Dean have this moment. After all the shit he's been through, he totally deserves it. And it's actually pretty nice seeing Dean like this. He wants his family to be happy and carefree, not betrayed and dejected._

_Watching Dean smiling at him, all worries gone for a blissful second, he thinks about the whole situation again, eager to find it out before Dean lets him in on the secret. And then, when Dean's mouth opens he finally understands it._

_'You want to make out in the ring?' Dean's smile practically splits his face in half. That little fucker. Smart. And mean. 'You're a horrible person,' he tells Dean with no real heat in his words._

_The younger just laughs amused, grabbing Roman by the vest and tugging him along. 'I know, it keeps me up at night.' Liar._

_'So, I can expect a lot of touching?' Dean nods and Roman thinks that there could be worse plans. Dean hasn't allowed more physical contact than strictly necessary in the past week and Roman has to admit that he missed that._

_(Not as much as he misses Seth, but enough to realize the aching void inside his chest every time he feels the urge to hold Dean close to him. Just to remind himself that Dean is still there.)_

_The three of them have always been kinda touchy-feely and it was more than just weird to remind himself every time he tried to reach out to Dean that it wasn't appreciated anymore. 'Unless you would allow me to bone you out there.'_

_Now he laughs too, gently smacking Dean on the head. 'Not today, weirdo.'_

_They walk in silence to their hiding place for the night, both lost in their own thoughts. He doesn't mind hugging and showing affection towards Dean in the ring – especially if it's to piss off Seth – but he's also a bit worried. This could backfire horribly._

_And there's one more thing Roman can't stop thinking about. 'Whatever you do out there, whatever you say... Don't threaten to kill him. He's getting enough of that crap already.'_

_It's the only thing he will ask of Dean. He is still mad at Seth but traitor or not, he is also still family and Roman always looks out for the ones he loves. He doesn't want to lose Seth permanently because of a stupid plan that riled up the whole WWE universe._

_Dean turns around, face serious (he has seen the death threats too and they almost made him forgive Seth on the spot). 'Don't worry. If he dies I can't beat the crap out of him anymore.'_

Roman paces the ring, remembering once again how good it feels to walk it off instead of standing still and accepting things silently, and waits for Dean to start talking.

But his friend doesn't, which is enough to slow Roman down, anxiety welling up inside of him. Dean hesitating in front of the fans is something very rare and Roman doesn't like it. When he shoots a glance in the other's direction he can see him looking up at the sky and his heart skips a beat.

Dean tries not to lose control and just let all his frustration out. Yet at the same time, he struggles to free himself from everything Seth. In this very moment, Roman can't say for sure if Dean will ever be able to let Seth back into his life – no matter how many times they will have a heart-to-heart.

'We weren't healthy,' Dean finally starts to talk about Seth and Roman holds his breath, listens how Dean compares Seth to cancer and it's getting harder and harder to keep up the pacing. He doesn't want to imagine being Seth right now, standing backstage, watching this.

Hearing the person you love with ever fiber of your being call you scum and threaten you to rearrange your face while a camera is pointed at you and you have to keep a straight face.

Then he remembers the pain that shot through his body a week ago, recalls Dean shutting himself away after that night, Dean hurting himself to channel his pain and it's the easiest thing in the whole wide world to grab the microphone from his brother once he's finished.

Dean grins, handing him the thing with a wink, and Roman uses that little funny moment to let go of some of his anger. What stays is the saddening feeling of having been let down and he thinks that Seth should get assaulted with both: Dean's unrestrained ire and Roman's deep-rooted disappointment.

He doesn't even realize what he's saying, just lets his brain take over which has always worked for him when he has to cut a promo. Roman thinks he's doing a nice job even though he knows very well that Dean kills it every time he smack talks and there's no one out there who can beat him at that (except for maybe his cousin Dwayne but there's no chance in hell he's telling Dean).

Before he knows what's going on, he's already backstage, Dean prancing and bouncing next to him, a big screen showing him Seth walking down the ramp in a black suit to some weird music.

'Well, well,' Dean murmurs, eyes fixed on the tv, a shadow ghosting over his face. 'Look who has not only adapted but also evolved.' Roman stays silent; Dean's hoarse voice telling its own sad story.

'I don't wanna be here,' Roman hears Dean whisper low enough for no one else to hear; the younger obviously torn between running out there and comforting Seth (because of the crowd's reaction), running out there and beating the shit out of Seth (because he can't wait to fulfill his earlier promise) or just running out of the building right here, right now (because he doesn't want Seth in his life anymore).

'We have to,' Roman reminds him sadly. 'I know. I just don't want to hear his crappy lies.' As much as Dean wants Seth to suffer, he also can't ignore his own feelings. Listening to Seth babbling about all this bullshit must be really confusing and depressing. 'It's hard _not_ to fall for them.'

'… because to me it wasn't a big deal,' Seth's voice interrupts them and Roman can't help himself, he just has to pull Dean in for a hug again. A real one this time and he feels Dean burying his face into his neck. He turns them around, so that the camera won't catch it, and mutters softly, 'Believe in him.'

If he would have known what Seth would say afterwards, he'd not have chosen those exact words because Seth managed to coat them with poison and the bitter look on Dean's face says all Roman needs to know. There is a camera here, the whole world is watching, so he doesn't let his temper get the better of him – sticks to his own plan – but Roman can see it in Dean's eyes.

He is done. He can't be sure what to count on anymore, so he shields his heart from any further damage, kicking Seth out for an indefinite time. He knows it's impossible, but Roman swears the temperature in the room sinks down considerably because of Dean's stone cold determination.

He would give everything in the world to be part of their conversation later tonight because Seth is selling all of it really good. So perfectly actually that even Roman has no encouraging words left even though Dean crumbles to pieces on the inside.

'And maybe to Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose we were brothers but to me they were just business partners and I severed a business relationship. You know for two years, every night, I came out here and I put my fist out and I said _Believe in The Shield_. Every night, what I meant is what I'm gonna tell you right now, is that you and everybody else better start believing in Seth Rollins,' Seth spits out (slapping the truth in their faces that _they_ have been a lie all along) and his words flip a switch inside of Dean.

For a dreadful moment there is no life left in those piercing blue eyes and Roman thinks Dean's face turns a shade paler. 'Remember how I promised I'm going to rearrange his face?' Dean asks, voice quivering with repressed anger and he cracks his neck, a wild look appearing in his eyes.

'Well, I think it's time.' Roman nods and breathes in deeply, preparing himself for the run to the ring and beating some sense into Seth. He jogs maybe ten steps before he realizes that Dean isn't in front of him.

'We're not running at him?' Dean just scoffs, malice and bitterness oozing out of every pore of his skin. 'No, I want him to piss himself until we're there. He's gone too far,' Dean grits out, fingers balling into fists. 'No one fucks with my family,' he adds (totally stealing _his_ line) and Roman smiles a bit sorrowful, while letting Dean go first.

Seth might have called Dean a worthless, incompetent lunatic but Roman would still follow him to the depths of hell and back, trusting and loving the other unconditionally. That's what brothers do.

He should have known that Seth would be a total dick and pull a pathetic move on them but he's still surprised when the lights go back on and he's staring at the Wyatts, making out Seth on the outside. What a wussy.

The fun part though is that he doesn't stay there. No, in the end he does grow some balls and comes back into the ring and suddenly it's only him, Dean and Roman. Oh, how he has waited for this moment to happen.

Seth obviously had already seen this coming and flees the arena (really?), sending in Bray Wyatt as his knight in shiny armor. He will have to tell Dean to punch Seth in the face later – just for good measure. He's sure Dean's blow will hurt way more than one of his, no matter how much strength he puts into it.

* * *

'This was not as satisfying as I wanted it to be,' Dean admits after their interview and Roman just grunts in response. 'Never thought he'd be such a cream puff.' He almost sounds discouraged while he rips the tape off his hands, not even caring about the mirror shard wound.

'Nice match,' someone addresses them and Roman turns around to see John coming up to them, only now realizing that the other had disappeared as soon as they had won. 'Thanks,' he answers, not sure what else to say.

The Shield and John Cena aren't exactly friends; they just happened to have the same enemy tonight. 'Yeah, thanks for trying to help us out,' Dean adds and Roman stomps hard on his foot, disguising it as a slip-up.

He also hopes that John won't recognize the sarcasm in Dean's voice. 'No problem,' John smiles back, shaking Roman's hand and bidding his farewell. Dean boxes him in the ribs as soon as he's out of sight, screaming, 'What the hell, man?'

Roman just lays his arm around Dean's shoulders and guides them to their car. 'You were going to ask him if he thinks we can't defeat anyone on our own. Don't even try to deny it, I know that look of yours. You wanted to tell him that you don't like him, you don't need him and that you'll kick his ass if he ever tries to undermine your authority again.'

Dean grimaces and sags down on the driver's seat. 'You know me too well, Mr Don't Piss In The Wind.' 'Dude, it just happened that one time.' 'I'm not the one sharing it with the whole world.' They both laugh until a familiar chime echoes in the small confines of the car. Once. Twice. Roman counts seven text messages, while anger bubbles up inside of him again.

He had the audacity to throw all those hurtful things in their faces, called them out to get their promised beating and just ran away when things got a bit heated. And now he texts like a maniac, probably whining about how he didn't mean it.

Dean was right; it's getting really hard to differentiate between the real Seth and the one he says he's playing. How are they supposed to know what's real and what's not? This whole situation just gives him a headache and he's kinda glad that he doesn't have to deal with that rat later.

Dean sighs tiredly, watching his phone as if it could bite him at any second. 'I'm so sick of hearing his apologies.' 'You want me to read them?' he offers but Dean shakes his head almost immediately. 'No, I gotta do this. But I'll make sure he'll molest you too in the future.'

He laughs, albeit a bit stiffly, pats Dean on the leg and closes his eyes, giving his brother some privacy. Dean huffs from time to time, fingers tapping on the screen vigorously. 'Same shit, different day,' he finally shares with Roman, throwing his phone on the backseat and starting the car.

'Did he say why he ran away like the coward he is?' 'Come on, Ro, you know that already,' Dean encourages him to take a wild guess. Their hotel is already in sight when Roman finally says, 'Triple H?'

Dean parks the car and turns off the motor, flashing him a fake smile. 'Ding, ding, ding. You have just won absolutely nothing.' They get out and check into their room in companionable silence but once the door is closed behind them, Dean practically flips out.

Seems like he has just waited to be completely alone with Roman. 'I'm sorry, Dean, I had to say all that. But the guy in the ring is not me. It's just my mean alter ego; it's because my head is stuck deep inside Triple H's ass. And oh, forgive me for not letting you play plastic surgeon, I kinda cling to my stupidly pretty face. My awesome new boss has told me to let you play with the creepy llama-camel-lambs and you know I can't defy him.'

Roman listens patiently to Dean getting it all off his chest, knowing that there will be a point when irony isn't enough to cover all the hurt he's going through right now. 'But he could betray us, his fucking family, in a heartbeat. Ladies and gentleman, I present to you the logic of one Seth Rollins. God, this man, I swear, he's driving me _insane_. No, wait, I forgot. I am already a _lunatic_.'

He thinks it's time to let out the big brother – not only Dean's but also Seth's. He still wants to slap the shit out of him (and he _will_ get his chance to do so) but he's willing to give him one last chance. The benefit of the doubt.

But if he hears one, _just one_ complaint from Dean, he'll be done with Seth Rollins forever. He has promised Dean to fight alongside him and he means it. He'd do anything for Dean. But should he hear one wrong word from Seth, he will bury that traitor alive. Maybe then they'll be able to finally make their piece.

'The kid is desperate,' he points out and Dean shoots him a dirty look. 'No shit, Sherlock. I'm gonna take a shower now. Have to look good and show him what's not his anymore,' Dean snickers and swaggers into the bathroom. What an adorable buffoon.

Roman decides to call it a day and strips out of his gear. The last thing he'll do tonight is wash that oil off and then he'll try to erase this day from his memory forever. He's just wriggling his way out of the green shirt when Dean yells from under the shower, 'But can you imagine him going crazy when I meet him later?'

'You're enjoying this way too much,' he calls back, admiring Dean's patience with Seth. There are still a lot of hard feelings involved but Dean is trying his best. 'Oh, I haven't even started yet,' comes the cocky answer and he hears the water being turned off.

He's tired of all this crap. Seth leaving them, Dean breaking down but trying to hold it together at the same time, Seth lying through his teeth but still saying he has a valid reason and he's not really a bad guy, Roman having to live with the constant fear that Dean will leave him as soon as he rekindles his relationship with Seth. Roman is sick and tired of all of it.

'Can't you two just fuck it out already?' he hears himself asking when Dean walks back into the room, towel around his waist, grin plastered on his face. 'Ro, I am shocked. Hate sex doesn't solve anything. And now go wash your oily Greek body. I don't want to sleep in stained sheets again.'

He gets up from the bed groaning when... wait a minute. Was this just a promise that tonight they will finally share a bed like they used to? That Dean will let him back into his personal space? Maybe this day isn't so bad after all.

'How about I'll bring him over and we'll have a little threesome?' Dean wiggles his eyebrows suggestively and Roman just yanks the towel from his waist on his way to the bathroom. 'I love you Dean, but if you value your life you stay away from my junk.'

Dean just laughs half-heartedly, panic starting to creep its way into his system, and shuts the door behind him once he's done getting dressed. From here on all Roman can do is wait and hope that Dean and Seth know what they're doing (and that he won't be left behind).

This is going to be an interesting night.


End file.
